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Class 

Book___ 
Copyright^ . 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



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NEW YORK 
GOSPEL PUBLISHING HOUSE 

D. T. BASS. Mgr. 
Fifty-Four West Twenty-Second Street 




Printing by 

Francis Emory Fitch 

of New York 



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tmp96 



027734 




JANUARY—GARNET -Power and Victory 9 

FEBRUARY- AMETHYST— Sincerity 23 

MARCH— BLOODSTONE— Courage 33 

APRIL— DIAMOND- Innocence— Purity 45 

MAY— EMERALD— Immortality and Hope 53 

JUNE— AGATE— Service 61 

JULY— TURQUOISE-Truth 69 

AUGUST— SARDONYX— Thanksgiving 79 

SEPTEMBER- - SAPPHIRE - Trust 89 

OCTOBER— BERYL— Happiness 101 

NOVEMBER— TOPAZ— Friendship Ill 

DECEMBER— RUBY— Love 121 



Preface 



By Dr. A. F. SCHAUFFLER 



~*HE stories told of various jewels are most inter- 
esting, and will be much appreciated by readers 
of the book. Evidently Miss Harrison has had 
much experience with children, for she tells her 
stories and points her morals in a way admirably suited 
to those whom she aims primarily to reach. Her style 
is bright and most readable, and will charm many a 
juvenile reader, while the applications that she makes 
by her symbolical use of jewels are true and very help- 
ful. The book is admirably adapted for presentation 
at Christmas or Easter, or for premiums for work done 
in the class. 



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A itturfri* Crnum 



JANUARY 

THE GARNET. 

WHERE in the world can we hope to 
find for ourselves a crown sparkling 
with jewels? Boys and girls love to 
travel, so you are all invited to go 
with me, not on a real journey, but a "make 
believe" one, on board one of those huge ocean 
greyhounds, to be carried on its back across the 
deep blue ocean, and one fine morning wake up 
to find ourselves in London town. 
Why do we go there? 

To visit one of the most beautiful crowns in 
the world. Through the gloomy gates of the 
famous Tower of London, past the stately "Beef- 
eaters,'' in their quaint dress, into a small round 
tower. Oh, what a dazzling sight is before us! 
There, in a glass case, are the famous crown 

9 



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jewels of the British Empire. You will see a 
picture of the crown in the corner of this page, 
but that cannot show all the beauties of coloring 
and the sparking light that conies from it. 

You never could guess how many jewels there 
are in this crown. So we will count them: 5 
rubies, 11 emeralds, 17 sapphires, 227 pearls and 
2,783 diamonds. Can't you just see how it 
flashes in the sunshine, but we may only look 
at and admire this crown, we cannot even touch 
it. 

If you would like to have a crown of your own 
you must become a little miner and dig down 
into a mine and pick out brilliant jewels for 
yourselves. Would you like to do it? 

Almost all precious stones come from mines 
deep down in the earth, and must be dug out 
with great care and hard work. Did you know 
that we have a mine full of precious stones, and 
that each one of us may dig out of it beautiful 
jewels to place in his crown? Yes! it is true. 

Let us begin to dig without delay. 

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We need not really go down into the earth 
and work in the dark like other miners. First 
thing we want is a lamp. Have you ever watched 
the men go dow T n into the mouth of a mine, each 
with a little lamp fastened in front of his hat, 
to show him the way through the darkness? 

Can you guess w T hat our mine is? It is the 
Bible. 

In Psalm 119 :105, you will find a costly lamp 
trimmed and burning ready to light our foot- 
steps. 

Now we will dig for the jewels. 

The first one w r e pick out is a rich crimson 
jewel called the "Garnet." Why? Because the 
Garnet is our birthstone for the first month in 
the year. Many hundreds of years ago, a very 
wise man, who spent his days studying about 
precious stones named a jewel for each month in 
the year, and called it the "birthstone" of the 
month. The Garnet he selected as the birthstone 
for January so that all the boys and girls wiio 



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have birthdays in January may claim the beauti- 
ful garnet as their stone. 

I hope that a great many birthdays come in 
January, and how delightful it is to begin the 
New Year of the World hand in hand with a 
New Year in our own lives. 

Now I am going to tell you something that I 
do not believe many of you have heard before. 
Garnets cut in an oval form are called "car- 
buncles," so that, when we dig up a carbuncle 
from our Bible mine we must remember it is an 
oval garnet. 

The first one we will find is in the part of our 
mine called Exodus, 28:17. Do you notice its 
strange setting? In a large breastplate sur- 
rounded by eleven other jewels. Who wore that 
wonderful decoration? What words were en- 
graven on the different jewels? Dig this out 
carefully for we will learn more about this 
breastplate later. 

In another deep passage at the very bottom 
of our mine, called Kevelation we find twelve 





glorious jewels (chapter 21). Embedded in a 
story about a wonderful City, such a beautiful 
City. With walls of jasper, and even the twelve 
foundations, way down in the ground, are made 
of precious stones. While the twelve gates are 
made of twelve large pearls. 

You see that the wise man who lived so many 
years ago found the number twelve spelled out 
in jewels many times in our Bible mine. He 
then explored other mines of learning, and dis- 
covered twelve stones named for the twelve 
tribes of Israel, and later he dug up the fact that 
the twelve apostles also had twelve stones 
marked for their names. Do you know the 
names of these twelve apostles? 

Now we are going to dig out of our Bible mine 
the twelve birthstones, one for each month of 
the year, and you can pick out the one which 
especially belongs to you. 

It was so nice that the wise man picked out the 
Garnet for January, as it is the symbol of a 
splendid battle cry to cheer us onward in our 





fight for God and the right all through the 
year. 

School boys will be interested to know that 
the name Garnet comes from the Latin word 
granatus — "like a grain" — called so because its 
crystals are in color like the seeds of the pome- 
granate. 

Have you ever seen a pomegranate? Ask for 
one at a large fruit store, cut it open, you will 
find inside the exact color of our January stone. 

Garnets have been used as jewels for many 
thousands of years. When the Assyrian, Baby- 
lonian and Egyptian mummies or bodies of dead 
people have been dug out of their tombs, many 
have been found with necklaces and bracelets of 
Garnets. 

The Komans also prized them highly, and 
you will see that they are used a great deal 
to-day from the fact that in Bohemia over 3,000 
men are employed every day cutting these stones. 
That country is the Garnet center of the world. 

The "Pyrope" Garnet is the kind that lives in 
14 



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the beds of streams, up in the hills and quanti- 
ties of them are found in the United States. The 
little ants shove them out of their way when they 
are building their wonderful homes, and that 
brings the gems up to the surface of the earth. 

Limpid Garnets, without color come from Nor- 
way, Mexico and the Ural Mountains of Russia. 

Some Garnets are tinted green, red or orange, 
but the most valuable is the Syrian Garnet, with 
a rich violet shade mingling with the crimson. 
The stone called "Cape Ruby" in South Africa 
is really a Garnet of high value. 

Our January stone has another interesting 
point; it is a many sided, or many faced jewel. 

There are twelve tfaced, twenty-four faced, 
and even some thirty-six faced Garnets. This 
makes them more brilliant and sparkling. 

Besides many faces, the Garnet has many 
sizes, and one huge stone, a Garnet crystal, is 
fifteen pounds in weight, two feet in diameter. 
It was found in America. 

We read many Oriental stories about the large 
15 




size and brilliance of the oval Garnets, or car- 
buncles, owned by princes of the East and the 
light that they reflect. 

In the Jewish book of tradition, called the Tal- 
mud, it is written that the only light Noah had 
in the Ark was a huge carbuncle that shone forth 
in the night with a clear strong light. This is only 
a legend, but there is a way in which we can 
shine much more brightly than any carbuncle. 

"Jesus bids us shine, with a strong, clear 

light 
Like a little candle shining in the night. 
In this world of darkness we must shine, 
You in your small corner, I in mine." 

We have already dug out one oval Garnet from 
our Bible mine, where we found it in the famous 
breastplate. You can dig another out of the 
compartment called Isaiah 54. That old prophet 
had a wonderful vision of a palace in the coun- 
try of the King, where the gates were made en- 
tirely of carbuncles. 

16 




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The King of Tyre was also fond of these oval 
Garnets and had them sewed into a jewelled cov- 
ering (Ezekiel 28). 

All the precious stones found in our Bible 
mine stand for Christian virtues. Our January 
birthstone stands for the high note of Power and 
Victory to conquer self; victory over our own 
wills. These are the hardest battles we have to 
fight in this world. 

Have you ever read the story of "the Knights 
of the Silver Shield"? If not, then take it from 
the library and read it, for it is a splendid story 
of this power of which the Garnet reminds us. 

The story tells how one knight was left to 
guard the gate of the fortress while his brother 
knights went forth to the battle. To the knight 
who won the most notable victory a golden star 
was to shine out on the face of his shield. The 
knight left behind had to fight against his temp- 
tation while the others were fighting against the 
He was tempted to leave the gate, 



giants. 



*7 





to desert his post that he might follow his com- 
rades. 

"Any one can stand and watch a gate," said 
the tempter, "but how grand it would be to gain 
glory on the battlefield and win the golden star 
on his shield." 

The knight's fight against himself was very 
hard, almost he yielded to the temptations, but 
at last he prayed to God for help and won the 
victory. He remained faithfully at his post. 

In the evening, when all the other knights 
were telling of their victories of the day, the 
master called on the keeper of the gate to an- 
swer for his trust. Then, as he stood forth be- 
fore them all, "The star, the star," they all cried 
out, for he alone had the beautiful golden star — 
shining out on his silver shield, a sign that he 
it was who had won the greatest victory of the 
day. 

In our Bible mine we discover who it is that 
has power. Dig it out of the compartment 

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Psalm 62:11, and in Jeremiah 51:15 you will 
find what a wonderful gift power is. 

There is one part of our bodies, almost the 
smallest member, which has the greatest power. 
Power over life and death. Dig this out of 
Proverbs 18:21, and from James 3:5. 

In the Old Testament we find many stories of 
famous battles that brave soldiers won because 
they had faith in the power of their leader, Je- 
hovah. 

In one battle the enemy was defeated 
whenever the general in charge held up his 
hands, as a sign that he was trusting in the 
Power of Jehovah; but w T hen he grew weary 
and let them fall, the enemy were victorious. 

General Moses was in command. Dig into 
Exodus 17:12 and see if you can discover who 
helped him hold up his hands. 

Another great battle w T as fought, and a vic- 
tory won without one blow being struck with a 
battle axe or one arrow being shot from a bow. 

General Joshua was in command during that 
19 




battle. What strange thing did he tell his 
soldiers to do? How many days did the battle 
last? (Joshua 6:15, 1G.) 

Have yon ever read of General Gideon's great 
and wonderful victory that was Avon without 
using a sword or spear. Read the thrilling story 
in Judges 7 :19-23. 

What strange weapons did the soldiers use in 
place of battle axes and swords? 

One of the terrible enemies of men is swallow- 
ed up in victory. Find the name in Isaiah 25 :- 
6-8. W T ho defeats this enemy? How may we 
gain victories against the world (1 John 5:4). 

As we begin to climb the three hundred and 
sixty-five steps of the Golden Stairway of this 
year, let us set in our crown our first jewel, an 
oval Garnet, to stand for the battle cry, "Power 
and Victory." Let us carry in our hearts this 
motto as we fight the battle of life in the name 
of our Lord and Captain. 



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22 





FEBRUARY 

THE AMETHYST. 

BEFORE we begin to dig up our crown 
jewel for the month of February, let 
us look at the breastplate of Aaron, the 
High Priest of the Children of Israel. 
It was called "Breastplate of Judgment/' 
made "for glory and for beauty." 

The breastplate was of gold, made like a 
double pouch or bag, eight inches square, with 
an inside pocket, which, some think, held the 
wonderful "Urim and Thummin." These were 
mystical words worn on the breast of the High 
Priest when he went to worship and pray to the 
Lord (Exodus 28:30). In some way this Urim 
and Thummin helped to show the priest the an- 
swer to his prayers. 

In the breastplate were the twelve precious 
stones on each of which was engraved the name 
of one of the tribes of Israel in Hebrew letters. 
The whole breastplate hung by gold chains from 



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two large Sardonyx stones that were on the 
shoulders of the High Priest. 

Dig down into the Bible mine at Exodns 28 
and you will find the interesting account of the 
dress of the priest. On the front of his linen cap 
was the motto "Holiness unto the Lord." The 
robe or "ephod" was sometimes thought to rep- 
resent the four great elements of the universe. 



The Breastplate — The world in the center of 
the universe. 

The Girdle — The water surrounding the 
world. 

The Sardonyx stones on the shoulders — The 
sun and moon. 

The twelve stones on the Breastplate — The 
twelve months or signs of the Zodiac. 

This wonderful breastplate has long ago dis- 
appeared. It was carried away from Jerusalem 
by the Emperor Titus, when he conquered the 
Jewish people and destroyed their temple. Some 
wise men think it is still buried in one of the 
hidden treasure chambers of the East, and that 

*4 



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it will some day be found with the sacred vessels 
of the temple. 

Now for our February birthstone. In this 
wintry month we celebrate two very special 
birthdays, for all American boys and girls are 
proud of their great heroes, George Washing- 
ton and Abraham Lincoln. The boys and girls 
born in February are glad to have the same 
birthstones as these two great men. 

This is the month of the Amethyst. No other 
gem has such a wonderful deep violet color. It 
it is so near the tint of the royal purple that it 
might be used as a royal stone. 

Amethysts have been prized very highly. 
Queen Charlotte of England had a wonderful 
necklace of Amethysts that cost fifty thousand 
dollars. Princes and generals often wore arm- 
lets of Amethysts in time of battle, and it is said 
that St. Valentine always carried an Amethyst 
about him. That may be the reason why it is 
chosen as the birthstone for February, his birth 
month. 

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In past ages jewels and precious stones were 
set apart to decorate and make beautiful the 
temples of God. Amethysts have been especially 
chosen. Long years ago the great Shepherd 
King of Israel — you remember his name? — col- 
lected jewels for the House of God. 

This king wanted to build a great temple for 
the worship of God, but God told him he had 
shed too much blood in war and that a man of 
peace must build His great temple. 

So the king, wanting to have some share in 
this most beautiful work for God, since he could 
not build the house, began to collect gold, silver 
and all manner of precious stones. There must 
have been a great many of our birthstones in 
his collection, because almost all of them were 
represented in the famous breastplate, and so 
were sacred as well as of great value. 

Dig into our mine at 1 Chron. 22, and 2 
Chron. 3:6 and find the story of how the col- 
lection was made and what became of it. What 

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was the name of the king who did bnild the great 
temple; the House of God? 

The Amethyst has been called the "Charm 
Stone," but the strangest idea of this gem is seen 
in the Greek word from which our word Ame- 
thyst comes. It means "not drunk" and this 
stone was actually supposed to keep people who 
wore it from drinking too much. Some of the 
ancients believed this so firmly that they made 
wine cups of large Amethysts, thinking -that they 
could drink all the wine they wanted out of these 
cups without becoming intoxicated. Of course 
such an idea was foolish, for the most beautiful 
cup in the world can not take away the conse- 
quences of wrong doing. 

The dark, reddish purple Amethysts are the 
most valuable, and when perfectly transparent 
and uniform in color bring a very high price. 
They come from mines in Siberia and Brazil. 
Those found in the United States are not the 
finest quality, except a few from Oxford, Maine, 
which are among the best in the world. 

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Iii our Bible mine you may dig an Amethyst 
out of the third row of the breastplate. It is 
assigned to the tribe Gad. Exodus 28. We find 
another way down in the foundations of the 
New Jerusalem (Eev. 21). 

In the list of stones set apart for the twelve 
apostles by Emmuel, the Amethyst is placed for 
Matthias, the apostle chosen to take the place 
of the wicked Judas, who betrayed Jesus. 

The Amethyst is a symbol of sincerity. Here 
is an old Motto that alludes to it. 



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"The February born will find, 
Sincerity and peace of mind, 
Freedom from passion and from care 
If they an Amethyst will wear." 

But "we may be sure the wearing of a stone 
will not be able to keep us free from passion 
and care unless we study the Bible, or as the 
Apostle Peter says, drink the "sincere milk of 
the word" (1 Peter 2). 

Boys, you will be interested to know that St. 



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Paul wrote a splendid code of morals for young 
men. You will find it in a letter to a man whom 
he had brought to Christ (Titus 2 :6, 7, 8). It will 
be a good plan to write out the three verses and 
fasten them on the wall or somewhere else in 
sight. Sincerity he mentions particularly. 

Girls, you will be interested in St. Paul's rule 
about the way we should talk to our friends. 



Dig it out of 2 Cor. 1 :12. That would be a 
good verse for girls to fasten up in their mirrors. 
"Godly'' Sincerity he lays upon our hearts. 

Why did St. Paul speak of the "Unleavened 
bread of sincerity and truth?" Dig down into 
1 Corinthians 5 :G, 7, 8, three verses explain the 
word "leaven." 

Sincerity was always a favorite watchword 
with George Washington. In war and peace, in 
boyhood and manhood, he always stood for sin- 
cerity and truth, scorning those who were insin- 
cere or broke their word of honor. As General 
of the Army one reason he had so much influence 
with his soldiers was that they knew he was ab- 

29 





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solutely sincere in his love for them, and proved 
his care for their welfare by sharing their dread- 
ful hardships in camp life. 

Abraham Lincoln showed that he was a man 
of sincerity of heart and purpose and life. In 
one of his great speeches he said: 

"Let us have faith that Eight makes Might, 
and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our 
duty as we understand it." 

There was a great general who lived about 
three thousand years ago and who was chosen 
by God to be commander-in-chief of a whole 
nation because he was sincere and honest and 
showed faith in God when others who were with 
him tried to frighten the army by telling things 
that were untrue or exaggerated. This one man 
and a friend stood out bravely and gave in a 
true, fearless report of his visit to the land of 
the enemy. But the people did not believe him 
and victory was delayed forty years. Long after- 
wards when he was about to give up the com- 
mand of the army he had led so faithfully, this 

30 



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general called his other officers together and 
made his farewell address. The last command 
he gave them was "Serve the Lord in sincerity 
and truth." 

One whole section in our Bible mine is about 
the life and victories of this great general. You 
may find it just before the Book of Judges. What 
was the general's name? What was the sincere 
report brought back to the people after he had 
visited the enemies' country (Numbers 13: 26- 
33)? 

But our February birthstone stands for some- 
thing even higher than sincerity, or rather, it 
stands for the highest meaning of the word sin- 
cere. Dig into the compartment of our mine 
called Genesis 17:1 and we find: "Be thou 
perfect," now look in the margin or side pocket 
of the compartment, "Be thou Sincere." 

This is such a high ideal that only one Man 
in the world ever reached it. Do you know his 
name? 

An old prophet named Malachi once had a 

31 





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wonderful vision of the King of Glory making 
up the number of his "Crown Jewels," or special 
treasures. He seemed to see God's great book 
opened before him, and in it he saw that all 
Avhose names were marked with two special 
points were selected by the king for his crown 
of glory. Look up Malachi 3:16-17, do you see 
the two points required in the end of the six- 
teenth verse? 

Little miners may all have their names 
marked by the two points, and, if they will, may 
be chosen for a place of honor in the crown of 
the King of Glory. 

MOTTO FOR FEBRUARY: 

"Grace be with all them that love our Lord 

Jesus Christ in sincerity." — Ephesians vi:21. 



FEBRUARY BIRTHSTOXE— THE 
AMETHYST. 



32 




MARCH 

THE BLOODSTONE. 

THIS windy month of March was named 
for the old Roman war-god, "Mars." 
It may have been given that name be- 
cause battling against the elements 
may "have reminded the Romans of the way they 
were continually battling against their enemies. 
The birthstone for this month is also typical 
of war. The "Bloodstone," a symbol of courage, 
a most important factor in either moral or phy- 
sical battles. 

A quaint little verse has come down through 
the ages in regard to this birthstone : 

Who, in this world of ours, their eyes 
In March, first open, shall be wise; 
In times of peril, firm and brave, 
And wear a "Bloodstone" to their grave. 

The Bloodstone is really a variety of green 
Jasper, made like other Jaspers of dark green 

33 



^ 




plasma, and having in it bright red spots like 
drops of blood. 

In the seventeenth century bleeding wounds 
were often touched with a Bloodstone in the be- 
lief that the stone would heal them. 

The ancients also had a strange but interesting 
legend that the Bloodstone was formed at the 
crucifixion of Christ by drops of blood falling 
from His side on a piece of green Jasper. 

Though this legend is not true, it is beautiful 
to think our March stone may remind us of the 
precious blood of Christ that was shed for us 
and for the whole world. 

Many fine carvings of the head of Christ have 
been made on Bloodstones, one of the best of 
these is in the Field Columbian Museum at Chi- 
cago. Other sacred pictures have been engraved 
on Bloodstones in the early days of the Christian 
Church, and the red spots have sometimes been 
arranged in the carvings to look like drops of 
blood. 

The richest dark green Bloodstone, with uni- 

34 






form small red spots came from India, and some 
beautiful specimens were found in olden times 
in Cyprus and Ethiopia. Many of the spotted 
Jasper stones were used for seals, rings and 
charms. 

You need not dig in our Bible mine for the 
name Bloodstone, but the other name, Jasper, ap- 
pears in many places. The last of the twelve 
stones in the breastplate was a Jasper, as we 
discover by digging into Exodus 28:20. The 
first of the twelve stones in the foundation of 
the "City Beautiful" was also of Jasper and the 
very wall of this wonderful New Jerusalem 
was built of the same stone (see Revelation 
21:18, 19). 

The King of Tyre had Jaspers sown into his 
wonderful bed covering (Ezekiel 28:13), and 
the great king whom St. John saw sitting on a 
throne, surrounded by an emerald rainbow, was 
like a Jasper (Revelation 1:3). The same 
apostle also writes of a "Jasper stone clear as 
crystal/' 

35 




All these you may dig out of the Bible mine. 
So we will set this jewel in our crown, and 
the little March miners will be glad to have this 
as their birthstone, and will want especially to 
have the virtue that it stands for — courage. 

Is there a boy or girl in the whole wide world 
who does not love to be courageous and hate 
to be called a coward? 

Boys especially will take almost any dare 
rather than have the word coward flung at them. 
Physical courage is noble, but moral courage is 
better. 

Do you know what moral courage is? It is 
the power to stand up bravely and do what one 
knows to be right even in the face of the scorn 
and laughter and hatred of one's enemies. 
Sometimes even our friends may try to make us 
do what is wrong. True courage is the daring 
to do right because it is right, without fear of 
what others will say or do. Like Daniel choos- 
ing the den of Lions rather than give up prayer 
to God, Joseph going to prison rather than sin 

36 



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against God, or the three young men facing death 
in the fiery furnace, because they would not bow 
down to idols. 

Oh, there are hundreds of stories of the men 
and women, boys and girls who have had the 
moral and physical courage to stand firm and 
dare to do right whatever might be the conse- 
quences. 

You know the story of the little hero of Haar- 
lem, who stood for hours with his fingers in the 
hole in the great dyke in Holland to prevent the 
water from coming through and flooding the 
homes of the people. He had courage to bear 
the intense pain, cold, loneliness and danger 
because he knew it would save his town and all 
the people from drowning. 

Many boys and girls all over the world have 
had the courage to face suffering and death 
rather than break their word or betray their 
friends, or be untrue to their Captain, Christ. 

And our missionary heroes. Read their stories 
and see the courage they showed at the very 

37 




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gates of death. John G. Paton, threatened 
with death by the cannibals of the New Hebrides. 
David Livingstone and Alexander Mackay 
among the savages of Africa. 

Among the martyrs of Madagascar, China, and 
India, are many whose names will live forever, 
and many children whose names are not known 
to us but whom God knows for their courage in 
facing death for him. 

When that great man, General Moses, was re- 
tiring from office he made a wonderful farewell 
address to his officers and soldiers, the keynote 
was "Be strong and of good courage." 

He turned to General Joshua who had been 
chosen to take his place, and said to him before 
all the people, "Be strong and of good courage." 

Afterwards when God spoke to Joshua as com- 
mander-in-chief in the place of Moses, he said 
to him first of all: "Be strong and of good 
courage" (Joshua 1:6), and again when General 
Joshua led the army to victory over five kings 
he repeated the words to the people : "Be strong 

38 




and of good courage" (Joshua 10:25). Years 
afterward when he gave up his office he left the 
same watchword to his generals (Joshua 23:6 

The "Shepherd King," David, was always 
courageous as a boy and as a man. He trained 
himself to courage when he was a boy caring for 
the sheep, and more than once faced and killed 
a lion and a bear that tried to carry off one of 
his flock (1 Samuel 17:34). Then as a young 
man he had courage because of his faith in God 
to meet and slay the great giant Goliath in the 
thrilling battle scene. (1 Samuel 17:38-51). 
Later as a man he had great need of courage in 
his many battles, and on his deathbed he charged 
his son, King Solomon, to "Be strong and of 
good courage" (1 Chronicles 28:20). 

Twice in the beautiful psalms that he wrote, 
King David strikes the keynote of moral cour- 
age. "Wait on the Lord ; be of good courage and 
He will strengthen thine heart" (Psalm 31:24 
and Psalm 27:14). 

If we dig into another compartment of 
39 



6 



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mag& 



our mine we will find a beautiful picture of the 
millennium (Isaiah 41:6). A time when every 
one will be running around to help his or her 
neighbor, and will say to each one he meets "Be 
of good courage." 

Would it not be a splendid thing to start a 
little millennium of our own right here and now 
by saying to all our friends every day: "Be 
strong and of good courage, for Christ is our 
Saviour and Helper"? 

In the life of one of the greatest heroes in his- 
tory there is a good story of his wonderful moral 
and physical courage. One day he was made a 
prisoner, was bound in chains and was put on 
board a ship to be taken to the capital to be tried 
before the Emperor. On the way there came up 
a dreadful storm, so that the ship was wrecked. 

The only one on board who showed real cour- 
age in this time of danger and could tell the 
terrified sailors what they ought to do to be 
saved, was this prisoner in chains. Every mo- 
ment he was in peril of his life and yet he com- 

40 



■J- 



manded their respect and admiration by his mar- 
velous calmness and courage. 

The shipwrecked passengers and crew were 
cast on a small island and after spending the 
winter there the prisoner was taken to Rome. 
He knew that there he was to be tried for his 
life, but we read that when his friends met him 
outside of the city he immediately "took cour- 
age." If you had been there you would have seen 
his head held higher, his step become firmer and 
his voice stronger because he was supported by 
the love and courage of his friends. 

Now dig into the compartment of your Bible 
mine called Acts 27 and 28 and there discover 
the whole of this exciting story. What was the 
name of the hero? Why was he being sent to 
Rome? Why was he so courageous? 

Amongst the hill tribes of India there lives 
one very strong tribe that has fought many bat- 
tles against the British Government. It is their 
custom to tie a red cord around the right wrist 
of every man who has shown great bravery in the 

41 





battle. This cord they call the "Red badge of 
courage." In one fierce fight we are told that a 
whole regiment of English soldiers were killed 
and the next morning around both wrists of 
every British soldier was found tied this "red 
badge of courage." The enemy so admired their 
bravery that they had given them a double 
badge, as the highest honor that could be shown 
to a soldier. 

Let the red spots in our Bloodstone stand for 
courage, even in the face of death. Not only 
physical but moral courage. 

Put this precious stone in our crown of jewels 
as a token that we have, through faith in Christ 
as our own Saviour, made up our minds to 
fight the battles of life with courage, even though 
it leads us through sorrow, suffering and the 
giving up of our own way and of life itself. 

Finally, those who are victorious will receive 
the crown of victory from the hands of our Lord 
and Captain. 



42 




APRIL 

THE DIAMOND. 

UR two great Christian festivals, Christ- 
mas and Easter come in the months 
which have for their birthstones the 
two most precious jewels in the world, 
Rubies and Diamonds. 

The perfect "pigeon-blood ruby" is the most 
precious, and most expensive of all gems, but the 
Diamond, our birthstone for April, is gener- 
ally the most costly, and by many is con- 
sidered the most beautiful of all precious stones. 
It is very widely used and in the year 1900 the 
United States alone imported $12,000,000 worth 
of Diamonds. These crystals have the highest 
reflective power, the greatest lustre and hard- 
ness of all jewels. The very heart of the stone 
seems to be lit by reflection of light. Our hearts, 
too, may be lit by the light of the knowledge of 
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 
The word Diamond, from the Greek Adamos, 
45 



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m 




means "unconquerable." Is that not a good 
quality for our April birtkstone. Only "Dia- 
mond is able to cut Diamond," an old saying 
tells us and the tradition of the ancients was 
a Diamond could be subdued or broken only 
when it had been dipped in the warm blood of a 
aoat. 

Here is a quaint little verse from the long 
ago past: 

"Though the same sun with all diffusive 

rays 
Blush in the rose and in the Diamond blaze, 
We prize the effort of His stronger power 
And justly set the gem above the flower." 

India, Brazil and Africa contain the Diamond 
fields of the world. In India 60,000 men were 
employed in one mine. Nearly all the most im- 
portant Diamonds of history have come from 
India. 

The "Kohinoor" or "Mountain of Light" (for 
that is the meaning of its Indian name) now be- 

46 




longing to the Crown of England is set on 
the crown in the center of a Maltese cross. It 
has had the most romantic history of any gem, 
and in the sixteenth century its value was given 
as half the daily expense of the whole world. 
Some day you must read the thrilling story of 
its tragic adventures from the time when it was 
discovered in India until it found a final rest- 
ing place in the Tower of London. 

Another famous stone is the Regent Diamond, 
now belonging to France. Its history has been 
marked by bloodshed and misery, and when, after 
many adventures it reached England in the care 
of Sir Thomas Pitt, so many had been killed to 
gain possession of it, that while he guarded it, 
Sir Thomas never slept twice in succession in 
the same house. 

Napoleon wore the Regent Diamond in his 
sword hilt at the great battle of Waterloo, where 
he lost forever the joy of freedom. 

The "Sanci" Diamond, worn by Charles the 
Bold in his hat when he fell at the battle of 

47 





<B^' 



X. 



Marcy, afterwards passed on from hand to hand 
until at last it was taken from the bod}' of the 
messenger who had been murdered by robbers. 
He was on his way to deliver it to the King of 
France, and when he heard the robbers coming 
he swallowed the Diamond so that they could 
not get it. 

In Brazil the mines were always worked by 
slaves; whenever a slave found a Diamond that 



weighed as much as 17 carats he was set free 
as a reward. 

Just think of this as a price for one Diamond. 
The highest price ever offered for one gem, two 
fully equipped war vessels with their cannons 
and shot, $500,000 in gold. How would you like 
to sell one stone for that price? The Rajah of 
Mattan refused the offer, for he preferred to 
keep what was then the largest Diamond in the 
world. 

Not long ago a very much larger Diamond 
was discovered in South Africa. It is called the 
"Premium" Diamond. 

48 




Murder, suicide, madness or ruin has been the 
fate of many a man and woman through whose 
hands the famous blue "Hope Diamond" passed. 
The unfortunate little Queen Marie Antoinette 
wore it at a great ball. 

Strange, is it not, that such a beautiful gem 
as our April birthstone should carry so much 
sadness and sorrow to its owners! It is even 
more wonderful to think that a stone of such 
brilliance should come from a plain piece of 
ugly, black carbon like the coal we burn in our 
furnaces. Think of it, the Diamond may be 
burned up in a fire so completely that it will 
leave no ashes. 

You may dig a few Diamonds out of our Bible 
mine, but this stone was not well known in those 
days. The breastplate of the priest held a Dia- 
mond as the third stone in the second row 
(Exodus 28). The king's covering in Ezekiel 
28 also contained a Diamond. Jeremiah, the 
great prophet, mentions a letter written with 
the point of a Diamond (Jeremiah 17:1). 

49 





Do you know what our April hirtlistone stands 
for? Innocence, purity. 

Our Bible mine shines with these precious 
jewels. The wisest king who ever lived and who 
wrote many wise sayings in one of the books of 
our Bible tells us that "He that maketh haste to 
be rich, shall not be innocent" (Chapter 28). 

What was the name of the king, and what book 
contains his wise sayings? 

The mouths of angry beasts, who were ready 
to eat a man up, were shut by God, because the 
prisoner was innocent. 

Dig into our mine Daniel 6:22 you will find 
the name of the man. 

Once upon a time a great trial was held in 
the City of Jerusalem. It was in the bright 
Spring time. In the middle of the trial, when 
the prisoner was standing before the judge and 
the court room was filled with angry people who 
wished to kill the prisoner, the judge called for 
a basin of water. 

Every one looked at him with surprise. What 
50 




did the judge want with a basin of water? What 
could that have to do with the guilt or innocence 
of the prisoner? Slowly the judge washed his 
hands, and then as he held them up he exclaimed 
in a loud voice, "I am innocent of the blood of 
this just man." 

See the story in Matthew 27, can you discover 
what terrible mistake the judge made? Only 
one man in that court was innocent. Who was 
he? 

Purity and innocence go hand in hand, and 
the Diamond is the symbol of both. 

The flower for this month is the lily which 
also stands for purity. Our Lord Jesus talked 
to His friends about the lily of the field, and said 
that it was more beautiful than the rich jeweled 
dress of the king. 

When St. Paul wrote a letter to some of his 
friends he gave them six things to think about, 
and one of the six was Purity (Philippians 4:8). 

Do you want something worth following day 
by day? Dig down in James 1:27 and see what 

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lie tells us about "pure religion." In another 
place he tells us that "Wisdom from God is 
first pure and then peaceable" (James 3:17). 

Once there was a man, a great man, who said 
he served God with a pure conscience. What 
was his name (2 Timothy 1:3). 

That is something worth having. A pure con- 
science. 

Above all other jewels in our crown little 
miners place the Diamond as a sign of purity 
and innocence in heart and conscience. So will 
we win the reward of our Captain. 

"Blessed are the pure in heart" says our Lord 
Jesus Christ, "for they shall see God." That is 
the reward of purity. 

MOTTO FOR APRIL: 

"He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, 
* * * he shall receive the blessing from the 
Lord." — Psalm xxiv :5, 6. 



APRIL BIRTHSTONE— THE DIAMOND. 

52 



«4 



MAY 

THE EMERALD. 

E have been digging out jewels to set 
in our crowns, but thus far have not 
thought very much about the crown 
itself. 
You know that a Crown always stands for 
Power, Majesty, Victory, and gold is the sym- 
bol of the Divine nature. 

From earliest ages of the world's history 
crowns have been the sign of leadership, the 
goal of man's ambition. The simple garland 
of wild olive twigs that was used to crown the 
proud victor in the celebrated Olympic games, 
was more prized than a gold crown set with 
precious jewels. 

The Jewish nation pleaded with Samuel for 
a king, who would hold a court of splendour, 
dress in kingly robes, and wear a kingly 
crown. 

In England, and even in America, where we 

53 



i 





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i 



liave no kings, every little boy and girl who at- 
tends a May party secretly hopes to be chosen 
to wear the crown. 

In all onr pictures of Heaven, crowns have 
an important place, and the great Prophet 
Isaiah tells the wonderful news that the "Lord 
Himself will be a crown of glory and a diadem 
of beauty for all His people. In another com- 
partment in our mine St. Paul shows us a 
beautiful picture of Jesus "Crowned with glory 
and honor." 

Thus we will look with joy and reverence on 
the crown that holds our jewels and will win 
the crown if we are valiant soldiers of Jesus 
Christ and are ready to fight the battle of life 
for its possession, for — 



"There's a crown for little children, 
Above the bright blue sky." 

The birthstone for May is the lovely and 
costly Emerald. Its very color is refreshing. 
Little miners who live in the cities, shut your 

54 





eyes and picture to yourselves the fresh green 
trees, valleys, green hills and fields. God, the 
loving Father who made the beautiful world, 
knew well what would rest our tired eyes, for 
He hung delicate little green curtains up in the 
woods and spread a moss green carpet under 
our feet. 

In ancient time precious stones were valued 
according to their color. One reason Emeralds 
are so precious, — did you know they are second 
only to Rubies and more expensive than Dia- 
monds? — is on account of their exquisite velvety 
green color. 

Centuries ago the wicked Emperor Nero or- 
dered a large emerald cut in a peculiar shape 
so that he could use it as an eye-glass. Often 
he used this emerald to watch the Gladiators 
fighting and Christian Martyrs going to their 
death in his immense Amphitheatre in Rome. 

If you dig into the compartment of our mine 
called: Exodus, chapters 28 and 29, you will 
unearth a beautiful Emerald, set in the inter- 



J 



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55 





esting old Breastplate, 
did it stand for? 

Dig again into the Ezekiel compartment of 
our mine, into the very heart of chapter 28, an 
Emerald is embedded in the middle of the King's 
coverlet. 

Then you will discover that the fourth founda- 
tion of our City Beautiful, in Revelation, is an 
Emerald. The wise man who named stones for 
the twelve Apostles gave the Emerald to St. 
John. 

We could not choose a better birthstone for 
May than a green Emerald, for do you know 
what it means? A most lovely symbol: 

"Immortality and Hope." 

Look around on some beautiful Spring morn- 
ing at the wee green fingers pointing up through 
the brown earth. Every one of them speaks to 
us of immortality, the resurrection life. 

Now, dig into your mine, to Romans 2: 6-7, 
and see what is there stated about immortality. 

56 




The name of the keeper of this great jewel 
you may dig out the compartment of 1 Timothy, 
the last chapter, 14 to 16 verses. 

Later on we find that a wonderful messenger 
was sent to you and to me and to all the world, 
with the news of this great jewel of immortality. 
His name is written in 2 Timothy 1:10. When 
we have placed this jewel in our crown He in- 
vites us all to be His guests in that "City Beau- 
tiful" we read about in the Book of Revelation. 

Our Emerald also stands for "Hope." 

There are twelve most interesting passages in 
our Bible mine studded with this jewel. Hope 
is worn as a helmet to protect the head in our 
battles through life. Dig this out of the cham- 
ber called 1 Thessalonians 5 :8. 

The Jews were always fond of Emeralds, and 
the Apostle St. John likened the "Rainbow 
round about the Throne," about which he tells 
us in Revelation, "unto an emerald." 

The great crown of England that we visited 

57 





ill the Tower of London has eleven Emeralds set 
amongst its diamonds. 

Is it not beautiful that our Lord Christ 
Jesus chose the glorious Spring time, the "Res- 
urrection time" of the earth, for His marvellous 
gift to us of Immortal life? 

When the first tiny green shoots reach up- 
ward and poke their little heads through the 
ground so that they may raise them toward God 
in Heaven, we are reminded of the wondrous 
story of the Resurrection, with its glorious 
promise of Immortality and Hope. 

Did you know that if you were to see a pre- 
cious stone or jewel when it first came out of 
the earth you would probably throw it aw T ay as 
worthless? It looks so like a dull, dirty little 
stone, without any beauty. 

But the miner knows its value and washes it 
thoroughly in many waters, so that all impur- 
ity may be taken away. Then he carries it to 
the skilled workman who cuts off the rough 
coating and polishes it until out shines the 

58 




"power of reflective light," which gives to 
jewels their brilliance and value. 

That power of reflective light is developed by 
cutting and polishing. So God cuts and polishes 
those of us who are His jewels, in many ways. 
Little trials, disappointments, sorrows, may be 
his method of polishing and cutting our lives, 
so that they will reflect His life, and we may 
become precious jewels to shine in His Crown 
of Glory through all eternity. 

MOTTO FOR MAY: 

"Our Saviour Jesus Christ who hath abolished 
death and brought life and immortality to 
light through the Gospel."— 2 Timothy 1:10. 



MAY BIRTHSTONE— THE EMERALD. 



59 





<£>•> 



"Crown Him the Lord of heaven 

Enthroned in worlds above 
Crown Him the King, to whom is given 

The wondrous name of Love 
Crown Him with many crowns 

As thrones before Him fall 
Crown Him ye kings with many crowns 

For He is King of all." 



60 



& 






JUNE 

THE AGATE. 

NOW we will place another jewel in our 
crown for the glorious month of June. 
The birthstone of all the little min- 
ers who were June babies. 
Here it is, an Agate. 

Not of such high rank as our Emerald, but 
rich in coloring, and of great service. From the 
earliest ages Agates have been known and valued 
for the beauty of their varied coloring. 

Did you ever hear of anything growing from 
the outside? All seeds and plants grow from 
the inside, beginning at the heart. This is the 
way we grow as children of God. First giving 
our hearts to Him and then our whole lives. 

But the Agate grows from the outside. Fine 
wavy lines of white, brown, grey, blue, yellow, 
red and black are added, layer upon layer until 
sometimes over 1,700 layers have been counted 

61 



:(( 





through the microscope around the edge of one 
Agate. 

Would you like to hear the story of how a 
little agate grew? 

Once upon a time, a little wavelet was playing 
hide and seek around the rocks when suddenly 
it discovered a tiny dark cave. In and out of 
this tiny cave the wavelet ran every day, many 
times during the day and many days during 
the centuries. 

Each time it ran into its hiding place the 
wavelet carried on its crest a small layer of 
mineral called silica, and left it as an offering 
around the sides of the dark cavern. 

By and by the cavern grew smaller and small- 
er, as pretty colors formed in wavy lines around 
the inside. The little wave began to find it hard 
to squeeze in and out, until one day a part of 
the little wavelet got in, after a hard struggle, 
but could not get out. Then the beautiful Agate 
was completed. 

Our Agates have even taken their name from 
62 




the waters, for they are called after the river 
"Achates" in Sicily, where the Greeks found 
them. 

In Scotland they are called "Scottish Peb- 
bles," because they are often found on the 
seashore. 

Have you picked out our June birthstone from 
the precious stones in the Breastplate? Yes! 
there it is, in the middle of the third row, en- 
graved with the name of the tribe of Naphtali. 

Now, take up your Bible mine, dig dow T n to the 
compartment of Isaiah 54 and read of a beau- 
tiful city that is filled with little children. The 
Lord Himself is the Teacher. The windows are 
made of precious Agates. 

Dig again into the compartment called Eze- 
kiel 27: 16, and discover a story of the fairs or 
markets in Syria. The booths are filled with 
jewels, embroideries, fine linens, and very many 
of our June Agates. 

There was not so much money used in those 
days as now, so the Israelites exchanged other 

63 





<S^ 



things for their jewels. Honey, oil, and balm 
were given instead of silver or gold. 

High on the backs of camels the precious 
stones and embroideries were packed, to be car- 
ried to Jerusalem to adorn the Temple of God 
and the King's Palace. Agates were bought in 
large numbers, because of their beautiful colors, 
and then they were polished and polished until 
they looked like satin. The most beautiful 
Agates have dull red centers, and many colored 
lines around the edges. 

What does our June birthstone stand for? 

The precious jewel of Service, which every 
one, even the tiniest little miner, may wear in 
his crown every day. 

Dig into your mine as far down as Acts 26 : 7 
and you will find a great company of people 
"serving God, day and night," because of the 
promise of a wonderful gift. 

Who were all these people, and what was 
the wonderful gift for which they were serving? 

There are a great many kinds of Agates, all 
64 



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n 



different colors, grades and sizes. In the same 
way there are many kinds of service. 

Many years ago a great general was on his 
deathbed. All his captains and soldiers were 
sent for to attend h!m. He had a word to leave 
with them. 

There were two ways open before them, he 
said. They must serve some one, and they were 
to choose whom it would be. 

Dig into Joshua 24 and find out what choice 
the soldiers made. What choice did the general 
make? Which of the two would you have 
chosen? 

St. Paul tells us that we belong absolutely to 
whatever master we serve, so that we must be 
careful how we choose. There are many kinds 
of service embedded in our mine. There is Ser- 
vice of Righteousness, the Service of Pleasure, 
the Service of Sin, the Service of Christ, etc. 

There are also very many ways of serving. 
Dig and see what they are. 

Without fear — Luke 1 :74 ; 
65 





With all our hearts— Deut. 10:12; 
With all our minds — Romans 7: 25; 
With obedience — Romans 6: 16, 
And above all and beyond all "with love" — 
Gal. 5: 13. 



"Serve Him, Serve Him, 
All ye little Children. 
He is love. He is love." 



Do you remember the story of how the great- 
est man who ever lived took upon Himself the 
work of a servant? He dressed as a servant, and 
went through the lowliest of a servant's duties, 
even washing the feet of other men? 

Dig out the verse in Matthew 20, where He 
told His disciples what the man was to do who 
wanted to be highest in His Kingdom. 

Of Himself, He said, "I came not to be served 
but to serve." 

It takes a great man to serve with perfection. 
The King of England has for his motto: "Ich 

Dien," (I Serve). The President of the United 

66 




States holds himself as a servant of the people. 
Every one in the world, no matter what their 
position, may well be proud to be a servant of 
our Master, Jesus Christ. 

And then the rewards for service. Those 
who render great service to their country are 
rewarded with honors. The soldiers of the 
British army who have shown great bravery re- 
ceive the glorious Victoria Cross. 

We, if soldiers of our Captain Christ, will 
not fail of our reward, and our greatest reward 
will be a jewel to wear in our crown. 

The jewel of eternal life. 

But even before we enter into that reward 
we receive a personal reward of merit from the 
hand of our Captain. 

Think of the glory of that moment when we 
kneel at the feet of our Saviour and hear his 
splendid words: "Well done, good and faithful 
servant, enter thou into the joys of thy Lord." 

Is not our Agate of service, a precious stone, 



worth wearing? 



67 




68 



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66 



JULY 

TURQUOISE. 

PARKLTNG blossoms of the Rocks" is 

the poetical name given to our jewels 

by an ancient writer. Does it not 

exquisitely describe the beauty and 

varied coloring of the precious stones we have 

been digging out for our crowns? 

Plato, the famous philosopher, said that all 
precious stones are mere fragments, broken off 
from the rocks of the "World beautiful" above. 
That thought reminds us of the heavenly won- 
ders that "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor 
heart conceived, 11 awaiting those who love the 
Lord Christ. 

Our birthstone for July, the Turquoise, is 
typical of the Summer time, for it seems to have 
woven into its heart the celestial blue of the 
sky and the reflected blue of the laughing, dim- 
pling lakes and rivers. 

One Summer when we went to visit a small 
69 



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lake, away up amongst the mountains, we loved 
to climb to the top of the highest peak of the 
hills and look down into the depths of the beau- 
tiful lake, far, far, beneath. It looked exactly 
like a large turquoise, taken from the ring of 
some big giant, and dropped into a setting of 
emerald hills. 

Perhaps some boys and girls, born in July, 
own a turquoise set in a ring or a brooch? If 
you do this Oriental proverb will interest you: 
"The Turquoise given by a loving hand, carries 
with it happiness and good fortune/' 

Do you know where we get the name Tur- 
quoise? It is a French word, meaning Turkish, 
or Turkish gem, and it was so called because 
the Turquoise came into Europe by the gateway 
of Turkey. 

The finest of all Turquoise come from Persia, 
and in one town, the whole population, men, 
women, and — yes! — even the little children 
make their living by mining and polishing Tur- 
quoise. 



70 





In the province of Khorassan there is a very, 
very old mine, which opened as long ago 
as the lifetime of some of the heroes of onr 
Bible mine. Strange to say, it is called to this 
day "Isaac's mine." Stranger still, there is an 
old story which claims that this mine was really 
opened by Isaac, the son of Abraham. 

Have you boys ever read the wonderful stories 
about the "Aztecs"? 

They were the Mexican Indians w T ho fought 
terrible battles with the Spaniards, who went 
out to take possession of their lands. These 
Aztecs discovered the Turquoise mines in Mex- 
ico, and had been taking jewels out of them 
for many years before even Christopher Colum- 
bus set foot on American soil. 

There is a story called "Only an Old Bone," 
that is all about a great big tooth that had 
fallen out of the mouth of one of the pre-historic 
animals, a Megatherium. 

For ages and ages this tooth was shaken 
around in a bed of copper, rubbed and knocked 

7i 





about until half its size was gone and it had 
lost its beautiful ivory whiteness. One day some 
miners discovered the old worn tooth, and 
eagerly took it out of the darkness. For lo! 
a miracle had been wrought, the knocking and 
rubbing against the copper had changed the de- 
spised old bone into a valuable piece of Tur- 
quoise of an exquisite blue color. 

This may be only a story, but it is true that 
what we consider trials, are often only the very 
knocks and rubs that are needed to polish us 
into jewels for the King's Crown. 

In Germany the Turquoise used to be worn 
in engagement rings, for many people believed 
that the gem would change color if the wearer 
proved untrue. In those olden times, all pre- 
cious stones were held as talismen of good or 
evil. The Orientals had sentences from the 
Koran engraved on Turquoise stones and wore 
them on their arms. 

The most beautiful name or symbol given to 



72 




any ancient gem was the one ascribed to our 
Turquoise. 

It was called "The Soulcheerer." 

That brings us to the Christian virtue; our 
July birthstone stands for "Truth,'' and the sym- 
bol of truth is a shield. 

Dig into your Bible mine to Psalm 91:4 # and 
you will understand what this means. 

The shield of ancient times was so large that it 
was big enough to cover the whole body. In those 
days most of the fighting was done with bows 
and arrows, or short swords, so that the shield 
was of great importance. Arrows that might 
pierce through the joints of the armor could be 
blunted or turned aside by the shield. 

In the same way if we protect our hearts 
with the shield of truth, no poisonous arrows 
of doubt or evil will find an entrance. 

There is a very small psalm embedded in our 
Bible mine. It has only two verses, but it tells 
us that our shield of truth will endure forever 
and forever. 

73 




^ 



We are warned to be on our watch against 
those who shoot lies with their bows, for we must 
fight them valiantly to guard our shield of truth. 
Dig this out of Jeremiah 9 :3. 

Once upon a time a great man, accused of 
crime, was arrested and carried before a famous 
Roman Governor. 

He might easily have saved his life, but he 
stood up boldly and declared that his whole life 
and work on earth was to show forth truth ! The 
Roman Governor asked him a strange question. 
Dig it out of John 18:37, 38. What was it? 

We have a splendid motto for all boy and girl 
students, in school or college. It has to do with 
truth, and our jewel, the Turquoise. Dig it out 
of 2 Timothy 11 :15, beginning with the word 
"Study" and ending with the word "Truth." 
Learn the whole verse and write it in front of 
your lesson books. 

Then, in 2 Corinthians 6, we are told how to 
study truth. This ends with that splendid col- 
lege cry, "By the word of truth, by the power of 

74 



God, by tlie armor of righteousness on the right 
hand and on the left hand." 

Truthfulness in word and deed has always 
been a symbol of honor, and noble character. 

An honorable boy or girl will scorn to tell a 
lie, or try to evade the truth, no matter what 
the consequences may be. 

Do you remember the story found in our 
Bible mine about the little boy who lived in the 
temple and who had the courage to tell the truth 
to his aged guardian to whom he was given a 
message though he knew the truth would break 
the old man's heart? What was the name of 
that brave little boy? He afterwards became a 
great judge and prophet and anointer of kings. 

There is another story of a man who was 
obliged to tell the truth even against his own 
wish, and against the command of a king. When 
the king reproached him he replied, "The word 
that God putteth in my mouth that shall I 
speak." Dig the story out of the compartments 
called Numbers 22, 23 and 24. 

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/ 




All through our Bible we fiud these stories en- 
circling the precious jewels of truth. 

They show its great importance in our crown. 

Do you remember that story in our mine that 
tells of the terrible punishment that came upon 
a man and his wife who dared to tell an untruth 
to God? What were their names? What un- 
truth did they tell? 

No boy will ever forget the name of that brave 
man who loved God so much that he lived the 
truth fearlessly every day, though it led him 
straight into the terrible den of lions. 

We read of a great temple of truth that 
reaches to a greater height than the tower of 
Babel which foolish people thought they could 
build high enough to climb into the heavens. 
Our temple of truth reaches up into the clouds 
(Psalm 57:10). Writing of a fine woman, one 
of our poets said, "She is the temple where 
crowned truth dwells therein." Isn't that a 
character worth holding? In our Bible mine 
we find that all who have received Christ as 

76 



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their own Saviour, "are the temple of the Holy 
Spirit," and again, that the Holy Spirit is truth 
(1 John 5:6), so every little miner may be a 
beautiful temple, with the light of truth shining 
through the windows of the eyes, and crowning 
the brow, as a glorious jewel showing the way 
to Him who is "The way, the truth, and the 
Life." 



% 



MOTTO FOR JULY: 

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a / 

workman that needeth not to be ashamed, // 

rightly dividing the word of truth. ,, — y 
2 Timothy ii:15. 



' 



JULY BIRTHSTONE— THE TURQUOISE. 



77 



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n 



AUGUST 

THE SARDONYX. 

I HOPE there are many boys and girls with 
birthdays in August, because their birth- 
stone is very interesting. The Sardonyx 
is the most beautiful variety of the cele- 
brated Onyx. 

All through our Bible mine we come across 
veins of this stone. It is the very first precious 
stone spoken of in onr Bible. 

More than that, it has the unique distinction 
of a birthplace in the Garden of Eden. 

You may dig that out for yourselves from the 
second chapter of Genesis. 

It had also the great honor of being chosen 
by God to bear the names of the children of 
Israel on the shoulders of the High Priest in his 
sacred robe of office. Many times the people 
were specially told to bring Onyx stones for the 
beautifying of the Tabernacle. Among the Jews 

79 



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\ 



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i 



it was always surrounded by a setting of gold 
as a symbol of the Divine Glory. 

A little deeper in our Bible we discover God's 
wonderful gift of wisdom compared' to Onyx 
stones. Dig down into Job 28, and learn how the 
wise Seer talks about the mining of stones, their 
creation and value. 

Again we find that the bed covering of the 
King of Tyre, which we have already mentioned, 
boasted an Onyx stone as one of its glories. 

Our August birthstone is called Sardonyx 
from the Hebrew w T ord meaning "red color!" 
When you see a Sardonyx you will discover it 
has layers, one after the other, like striped rib- 
bons, some of clear milky white, and others of 
carnation red. 

"The Sardonyx hath colors three, 
The inner man 'twill show to thee. 
Humility may dim his worth, 
Yet chastity shall set it forth, 
And to complete his honored praise 
Eed martyrdom shall crown his days." 
80 






The Sardonyx stone lias always been used for 
engraving, and one engraved Sardonyx became 
famous in history because of a real tragedy in 
which it played the principal part. 

Elizabeth of England, or "Good Queen Bess," 
as she was called, had a fine Sardonyx engraved 
with her portrait, and set in a ring. As a mark 
of high honor the Queen presented this Sar- 
donyx ring to the Earl of Essex, with the words, 
"If ever you are in danger, return the ring to 
me, and I will save you." 

The time came when the Earl was condemned 
to death for his share in an intrigue against the 
government. By the hands of a secret mes- 
senger he sent the Sardonyx ring to the Countess 
of Nottingham, with an earnest plea that she 
place it at once in the hands of the Queen. 

Days of anxious waiting passed, but no word 
came from Queen Elizabeth. 

The Earl of Essex went to the scaffold, sor- 
rowing because he thought that his sovereign 
had failed to keep her promise, 

8i 




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Years after, the Countess, on her death bed, 
sent in haste for the Queen and confessed that 
she had kept the ring from motives of revenge 
or jealousy. Elizabeth left her with the tragic 
words, "God may forgive you, but I never/' 

Josephus and many other ancient authorities 
say that the Onyx stones on the High Priest's 
robe were Sardonyx, and that the Onyx men- 
tioned in the fourth row of the breastplate was 
a Sardonyx. In the American revised version 
Sardonyx is substituted for diamond, as the dia- 
mond was little known in the days of Moses. 

You may also dig out a glorious Sardonyx 
from the very bottom of our Bible mine, where 
it is said to form the fifth foundation of the 
"City Beautiful" (Revelation 21). 

All precious stones found in our Bible repre- 
sent spiritual graces, and our August birthstone, 
Sardonyx, is a symbol of the grace of "Thanks- 
giving." 

Do you know the Shepherd King, David, 
thought so much of the importance of Thanks- 

82 




giving that he set apart the chief priests of the 
Temple to take charge of the Thanksgiving of 
the people. 

From the chamber called 1 Chronicles 23 :30, 
yon may dig out his royal decree. Also in Ne- 
hemiah 12:8 we find out about the priest Mat- 
taniah, which was over the Thanksgiving and 
prayer. 

Again in 1 Chronicles 15 you will read of a 
wonderful procession in which thousands and 
thousands of people took part, headed by an 
immense band of cornets, trumpets, cymbals, 
and harps, with a marvellous chorus of trained 
singers. 

What was the great national event they were 
celebrating? Who led the procession? 

It was the first of the national Thanksgiving 
days we all like so well. 

The keynote to this Thanksgiving is in 
1 Chronicles 16 :4. American boys and girls like 
to eat the Thanksgiving dinners. Did you know 
that there were three kinds of Thanksgiving 

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cakes baked especially for the Thanksgiving 
feast in the time of Moses? In Leviticus 7:12 we 
have the recipe for making the cakes. Also there 
were some peculiar ceremonies for that day, men- 
tioned by King David in Psalm 107 :22. 

Do all boys and girls who read this give thanks 
to God before eating? 

Have you ever read the story of the great 
picnic party where over five thousand people 
were seated as guests? 

The host, who was distributing the food estab- 
lished the custom of saying "Thank you" to God 
before eating. 

Dig into the compartment of your mine 
called John 6 to find the story. A little boy 
furnished the food as his thanksgiving, or thank 
offering, and that made the dinner possible. 
Do you know the name of the Host? What did 
the people have to eat? 

Boys love to hear the thrilling stories of ship- 
wrecks. 

I read of one that occurred in a terrific 
84 



thunderstorm, that lasted fourteen days. The 
sailors threw overboard all the cargo to lighten 
the ship and then decided to throw over some 
prisoners who were on board. 

But one prisoner stood up and said that he 
had had a dream, in which an angel told him that 
they would all be saved if none of them de- 
serted the ship. He told all to eat so as to keep 
up their strength, and they had hardly eaten 
a mouthful during the fourteen days while the 
storm lasted. 

There, in the height of the fierce raging of the 
storm, with the waves breaking over the vessel, 
surrounded by fierce men who wished to drown 
v^£) him, this brave man gave thanks to God, took 
some food, and made them all eat. His dream 
came true, for they all landed in safety. 

You may dig into the story for yourselves in 
Acts 27 and 28. What was the name of the 
prisoner who would not eat without giving 
thanks, even in such a terrible storm and dan- 
ger? 

85 




He was a hero worth following. 

There is a story of a woman who did not think 
she had anything in life for which to be thank- 
ful, but she promised a friend that if she ever did 
have cause for thanksgiving she would put a 
penny in the mission box. She kept her word, 
and to her astonishment, in a few months her 
box was so full that she had to ask for another. 
Her whole life was changed into a song of thanks- 
giving. 

Try this plan, and watch the result. 

Way down South there lived an old colored 
woman who had been a slave. She was poor, 
lonely, but not sorrowful, for she went around all 
day singing part of an old song of thanksgiving : 
"Thanksgiving and the voice of melody." Finab 
ly she became known as "Thanksgiving Ann." 
It is a beautiful little story, that of "Thanks- 
giving Ann," and of the way she changed the 
lives of many people by her song of Thanksgiv- 
ing. 

There is a special motto for the August boys 
86 





and girls to be used with their birth stone, the 
Sardonyx. 

It is a command from our Captain to all the 
Soldiers of Christ. Dig it out of Psalm 50 :14. 

The password by which we enter into the 
palace of our King is "Thanksgiving" (Psalm 
100:4). 

Hereafter when we are called to the honor 
of standing before the Lord Jesus, and cast our 
crowns of jewels at the feet of our King, our first 
words will be that glorious tribute to the King 
of Kings: 

"Blessing, Glory, Thanksgiving to our God, 
forever and ever." 



MOTTO FOR AUGUST 



"Offer unto God Thanksgiving, and pay thy vows 
unto the Most High." — Psalm L:14. 



AUGUST BIRTHSTONE— THE SARDONYX. 



87 





NCE upon a time in the East there lived 
a poor old man who made his living 
by traveling from village to village to 
sell wooden spoons. 
One day when crossing a mountain stream, he 
picked up a blue stone that glittered in the sun- 
light. Thinking it might be of some value, he 
carried it to a merchant in the nearest village. 
Imagine his joy when he learned that it was a 
valuable Sapphire that was sold for enough 
money to make the old man comfortable for life. 
The Sapphire turned out to be the largest that 
had ever been discovered, and it was christened 
the "Wooden spoon seller's," in honor of the man 
who found it. After passing through many 
hands it was sold to a jeweler in Paris, and was 
set in the famous necklace which brought so 
much trouble to the Queen Marie Antoinette. 
Our birthstone for September is the Sapphire. 
89 




I wonder how main- of our little miners have 
ever seen a real Oriental Sapphire such as comes 
from Ceylon. 

Although there are Sapphires found in the 
mountain torrents in India, Siam, Brazil and 
in the United States (in Montana), the purest, 
and best sapphires, known as the "corn-flower" 
sapphires (bleu de roi) with their velvety sheen, 
are found only in Ceylon. 

"Upon the sapphire blue is shown 
The reflex of the heavenly throne." 

Pliny describes the hue of sapphire as exact- 
ly the tint of the air of heaven in the climate of 
Rome. 

You have walked through a cornfield, on a 
summer day, and have picked the little royal blue 
flower, scattered amongst the golden grain? 
What would you say, then, is the color of the 
"corn-flower" sapphire? Blue, and the deeper 
and richer the blue, the higher is the value of the 
stone. 





Our September boys and girls will be pleased 
to know that their birthstone was considered by 
the ancients the gem of gems, the sacred stone. 

There is one very rare kind of sapphire that, 
when polished, shows a marvellous six-rayed 
star, which changes its position when the stone 
is turned in the light. 

The great African traveler, M. d'Addabie, is 
said to have carried one of these star sapphires 
with him in all his journeys through the wilds 
of Africa. The natives thought that it was a 
magic stone on account of the star, and were 
afraid to harm its owner, and treated him with 
great respect. 

Kings and queens, from the earliest ages, have 
chosen sapphires to adorn their crowns, and 
among the English Crown Jewels, in the Tower 
of London, we may count seventeen beautiful 
sapphires in the Royal Crown. 

Then if you cross the English Channel and 
make an excursion to the Musee de Cluny in 
Paris you will find there a glass case holding 

91 




eight antique crowns. Some laborers found 
them, while they were digging in an old grave- 
yard, near Toledo, Spain, where, for ages, they 
had lain under the ground. One of these crowns 
contains sixty wonderful sapphires, some of 
them as large as pigeons' eggs. 

The first crown that was made for the first 
king of Hungary, when it became a separate 
kingdom in 1072, contained the figure of Christ 
set in a medallion, surrounded by fifty-three 
huge sapphires. 

The imperial crown of the great Charlemagne 
was set with sapphires, and the Bishop's ring of 
office, from the Middle Ages down to our day 
has never been without a sapphire of high value. 

In the colored picture of the breastplate you 
see a fine blue sapphire in the middle of the sec- 
ond row. Engraved on this stone is the name of 
the tribe of Issachar. 

Many years ago there lived in Cyprus a great 
bishop called Epiphanius, who wrote many in- 
teresting records about the Jewish Nation. 

92 



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Among other things he says that three times a 
year the future was foretold to the people by 
means of a sapphire. 

At the time when the High Priest entered the 
Holy of Holies, he wore suspended over the 
breastplate the "Declaration." This was said to 
be a marvellous sapphire of a deep cerulean blue 
which by its change of hue declared the favor or 
wrath of Jehovah towards His people, according 
to the way they were living. It was said to turn 
almost black before a coming pestilence and it 
became red as blood before war. When it an- 
nounced the coming of prosperity because the 
nation was following the commandments of 
God it shone a bright and clear blue. Of course 
this is only a legend, but it is true that God's peo- 
ple always have prosperity if walking in the way 
of His commandments. 

The second foundation of our "City Beautiful'' 
described in Revelation, is a sapphire. Also the 
great prophet Isaiah tells us that the foundation 
of the Church, His chosen people, will be coni- 

93 



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posed of sapphires. Dig this out of your mine in 
Isaiah 54 :11. 

We have already dug out many of our crown 
jewels from the bed quilt of the King of Tyre, 
and we may add a sapphire to their number 
(Ezekiel 28:13). 

Job, that great man, who was made "perfect 
through suffering" tells us that all the sap- 
phires in the world cannot buy wisdom (Job 
28:16). If you dig down to the sixth verse, you 
will see that he chooses our sapphires above all 
other jewels to represent the wealth of the earth. 

In the section of our mine called Exodus 24 
you may unearth a magnificent picture which 
was shown only to a few chosen men who 
climbed half way up Mount Sinai at the end of 
a very dramatic scene. The signing of a blood 
covenant between God and the people. What 
were the names of these men? The picture they 
saw was of the Lord of Hosts on a sapphire 
throne "Like unto the body of heaven in clear- 
ness." 

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You may also dig out something about this 
mysterious sapphire throne in the compartment 
of Ezekiel 1 :26. Later on in the chapter 10 the 
old prophet tells of the cherubim supporting the 
throne in the air, above the firmament, the very 
same throne which is mentioned in Kevelation 
where it is surrounded by a rainbow like unto 
an emerald. 

Now we can understand why the sapphire was 
called the sacred stone by the Jews. 

Here we have come to the symbolic meaning of 
our September birthstone. It is a meaning as 
wonderful as the stone itself. 

It stands for "Trust," "Trust in God." 

One could name many heroes who have won 
their greatest victory by trust in God, but we 
will only dig out six celebrated ones from our 
Bible mine. You must unearth their names for 
yourselves. 

Our first hero was a young lad who was help- 
ing his old father on the home farm, when sud- 
denly he was called to save his country. 

95 




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He became one of the greatest generals com- 
manding the soldiers of Israel, and proved that 
he had the faith and daring to take God at his 
word. He trusted utterly in God's commands 
and went forward in the face of terrible odds. 
His small army of only 300 gained a brilliant 
victory over an enemy of more than 300,000 
men. 

Truly, "If God be for us, who can be against 
us?" 

This dramatic battle you may dig out of the 
compartment of our mine called Judges 6 and 
7. What was the general's name? 

Our second hero was also a very young lad 
who worked on his father's farm. He had 
never seen a battle in his life, but one day he 
was called upon to face an enemy before whom 
every soldier and officer of the regular army had 
turned coward. This boy hero was so filled with 
trust in God that he ran forward to the fight 
with joy, a song of praise on his lips. 

The story of this duel must be dug out of 
06 



1 Samuel 17, verse 45, will tell you why this hero 
won the victory. 

Our third hero was a young boy king who be- 
came great because he had greater trust in God 
than any other king who reigned before or after 
him, over the House of Judah. 

His royal city was besieged by a vast multi- 
tude of about 200,000 soldiers. 

"The Assyrians came down like a wolf on 

the fold, 
And their cohorts were gleaming in purple 
and gold." 
The people of the king were wild with despair, 
but the young king never for a moment lost his 
perfect trust in God, and therefore God gave 
him the victory. Dig out the story from II 
Kings 18. 

Our three other heroes are grouped together 
for they were three friends who were willing to 
give up their lives rather than their trust in 
God. 

They watched a huge fiery furnace made ready 
97 





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c>. 



to burn them up, while each was bound tightly 
with cords and all three were thrown right into 
the middle of the flames. 

Just think of their courage and faith for 
never a murmur passed their lips. "Though He 
slay me, yet will I trust Him," and God hon- 
ored their trust and delivered them even out 
of the midst of the fiery furnace." 

From Daniel 3 you may dig out the wonderful 
story. 

Do you not think these young men were heroes 
worth knowing? Was not their example worth 
following? Read these stories until you know 
them by heart, girls and boys, so that you may 
"learn to trust God from your youth up." 

These lads reached the highest ideal of trust, 
and the jewel of trust, the Sapphire, flashed 
brilliantly in their crowns. 

"Build a little fence of TRUST around to- 
day 

Fill it full of loving words, and therein 
stay." 




And the jewel of trust will shine brightly in 
our crowns while we are here in the school of 
life, until the Trusting time is past. 

"When school is out and lessons done, we 

homeward run." 
"These lessons Thou dost give to teach me 

how to live, 
To do, to bear, to get and share, 
To work and play, and Trust always." 

MOTTO FOR SEPTEMBER: 

"As for God, He is perfect : the word of the Lord 
is tried: He is a buckler to all those that 
TRUST in Him."— Psalm xviii :30. 



SEPTEMBER BIRTHSTONE— THE 
SAPPHIRE. 



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HOW many little miners know the name 
of the first workman found in our 
Bible mine who was appointed to take 
charge of polishing, and setting preci- 
ous stones for the Tabernacle? Dig into the 
mine at Exodus 31 :3, 4 and 5, and you will dis- 
cover his name. 

We see how important and honorable this 
work was from the fact that the workman was 
chosen by God; was taught by Him; and was 
^A filled with His Spirit. 

Among the many precious stones polished by 
this man was our October birthstone, "the 
Beryl." This was one of the jewels that he was 
told to prepare for the breastplate of the High 
Priest. You will find it in the fourth row, and 
it is inscribed with the name of the tribe of 
Zebulun. 




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In one of the earlier months we are told of 
<a philosopher who made a list of jewels which 
he connected with the twelve apostles. The 
precious Beryl he named for St. Thomas. 

Our Beryl comes from the same family as the 
emerald and aquamarine, with this difference: 
the beryl is found in many colors, sometimes 
blue-green, sometimes deep blue, or yellow. The 
transparent blue-green is the most valuable 
stone, and chosen for our October birthstone. 

American boys and girls will be glad to know 
that beryl stones are found in seventeen states 
of the Union. They are not the precious gem 
variety, but are beryl crystals, sometimes of en- 
ormous size, larger than those of any other known 
mineral. In New Hampshire a beryl crystal 
was found four and one-quarter feet long. 

We must go to India to find the very finest 
green beryl, to Arabia and Russia for the second 
best variety. 

A magnificent Beryl is mounted on top of the 
English Crown, but the most costly yet mined 



102 




came from India, and is now in what is called 
the Hope collection. 

If we con Id peep behind the curtain of mys- 
tery that enveloped the magicians and fortune- 
tellers of the second century, we should find 
the beryl looked upon with awe, for they thought 
that it was an unerring guide in revealing the 
future. 

The poet Rossetti wrote a story in verse 
called "Rose-Mary, the Beryl Song" in which he 
tells of a maiden who saw the death of her lover 
foretold through the magic of the beryl stone. 

In those days of old, people were devoted to 
their jewels. A Roman Senator called Monnius 
owned a magnificent jewel which he showed with 
pride to the Emperor, who admired it so 
much that he set his heart on having it 
for himself. But the senator refused to sell 
it at any price. The Emperor was so disappoint- 
ed that he banished Monnius from the country. 
The Senator actually gave up home and friends 
rather than part with the jewel. 

103 




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h 



We have already dug out a Beryl from among 
the twelve precious stones of the breastplate of 
the High Priest. Another may be found imbed- 
ded in the foundation of the "City Beautiful" 
described in Kevelation. Again that famous 
coverlet of the King of Tyre was not complete 
without a Beryl stone, Ezekiel 28:13. 

In another part of our mine we may uncover 
a glorious picture of four Cherubims holding up 
the throne of God, and we read that the wheels 
of the Cherubims were like Beryl stones, 

You all know the story of Daniel, the man 
that lived so close to God that many wonderful 
things were revealed to him. One day he saw 
a vision of a heavenly messenger who seemed to 
look like a Beryl stone. Dig out the reference 
from Daniel 10:2. What message did this 
wonderful man bring? 

One more Beryl we may dig out of the poetical 
song of Solomon, the wise king. Do you know 
where to find that compartment in your mine? 

This glorious picture is to represent Christ as 
104 




the bridegroom of the church and we read that 
"His hands are as gold rings set with Beryl." ^ 

Have our October boys and girls been wonder- 
ing what their birthstone means? 

It is a symbol of Happiness. 

A great writer, who has now gone to his home 
above, thought so much of happiness that he 
wrote, "There is only one thing greater than 
happiness in the world, that is holiness; and 
that is not in our keeping." 

In a talk to boys this great writer tells them 
that the Kingdom of God is a kingdom of broth- 
ers. It is a great society, founded by Jesus 
Christ, including all people who belong to Him, 
and who therefore try to live like Him. Members 
of this society make the world happier, sweeter, 
and better. All the boys and girls who belong 
to Christ are members of this great society, and 
are helping to extend the Kingdom of God on 
the earth. 

Have you ever had the whole day made happy 
by a single word? 

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Here is a good daily thought for the October 
miners: "What can I do to-day to make some 
one happy? Old persons, children, and ser- 
vants, a bone to the dog, or crumbs for the 
birds?" 

One of the greatest sources of happiness in the 
world are the children. God bless them! You 
may find out about this in your mine at Psalm 
127:5. 

Many years ago a Roman lady said to her 
friend: "I have come to show you my jewels." 
She opened a handsome gold casket, and the sun 
flashed its rays on the Diamonds, Rubies, Pearls, 
and many other precious gems. 

"These are indeed beautiful jewels," replied 
the humble friend, "but I would not give one of 
my jewels for the whole casket." 

"Your Jewels?" exclaimed the Roman lady, 
"why, I did not know you had any of value." 

"Yes indeed, I have jewels, that were given 
to me not only for all time, but for eternity. 
Here they are," and the mother lovingly placed 

106 



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her hands on the heads of her girl and boy. 
"These are the jewels," she continued, "that I 
wear ever close to my heart, and hold as my 
proudest possessions." 

Every little miner may be a jewel of happi- 
ness, whose price is "far above Rubies" to their 
fathers and mothers and friends. 

Did you ever notice that Jesus spent the 
greatest part of his time on earth making people 
happy? 

What did he do at the supper party in Cana 
of Galilee to make the master of the feast happy? 
John 2. . . 

How did; Jesus bring happiness to a poor 
widow whom he met on the road to the city of 
Nain? and to a broken hearted father who 
walked a long way from Capernaum to see 
Jesus? 

There was a mother whom He met when trav- 
elling up in the North and to whom He gave the 
gift of happiness. What did she want? Mat- 
thew 15. One day He made the disciples very 

107 




happy when they were out in a boat on the lake 
of Galilee. Another day over 5,000 hungry peo- 
ple were made comfortable as His guests. Still 
later in His life we read about how He gave 
supreme happiness to two sisters in a little 
town called Bethany. 

Even in His death on the cross the Saviour 
took time, and thought in the midst of His suf- 
fering, to make one man unspeakably happy for 
ever. And His last thought before His death 
was for the welfare and future happiness of His 
mother. 

.So we see that from the time when He was a 
little boy and made His father and mother happy 
by obeying them, until, at last, He went to 
heaven, Jesus, the Son of God, gave happiness 
to every one who wanted His help. If our glorious 
Captain thought so much of making people hap- 
py, is it not worth while for us to see what we 
may do for the happiness of those around us? 

You want to learn how to be happy yourself. 
Then go and fill the cup of happiness for some- 

108 



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NOVEMBER 

THE TOPAZ. 

BOYS and girls who live in the country 
know what a joy it is to run races among 
the Autumn leaves on a crisp November 
day, while the mischievous wind blows 
them in circles around us. What fun to lie 
buried in the fragrant heaps, or to hunt for the 
most beautiful yellow, crimson, or golden brown 
leaves to carry home to mother. 

Our November birthstone is just the color of 
some of these bright Autumn leaves. Golden 
yellow, clear, bright, transparent. 

The yellow Topaz often called the "Golden 
stone." 

"The Topaz is a jewel rare, 
And therefore must be bought full dear; 
Made up of hues of golden light, 
And with celestial lustre bright." 
The name "Topaz" was given to the gem in a 
romantic way. Far off in the famous Red Sea, 

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where the children of Israel had such a wonder- 
ful experience, there is a small island. So often 
is this little island surrounded by fog that it is 
very hard to find. 

The ancient Greek sailors sometimes spent 
hours looking for it and trying to guess just 
where it lay behind the fog banks, so they 
named it Topazein, which means to "guess." 
One day they discovered on this island some 
beautiful "golden stones" and called them 
"Topaz." 

There are other colors besides yellow in some 
of the Topaz crystals. White, red, and green 
Topaz crystals are found in the rocks of many 
countries. 

The white Topaz of Brazil was called "The 
Slave's diamond" by the Portuguese, for it was 
the only stone that had any chance of being 
passed for a diamond. 

Our crown jewel, however, is the yellow Ori- 
ental Topaz which is now very rare. It has a 
soft, clear, yellow lustre like satin, and "a reful- 

112 



gence like that of gold." Some crystals of Topaz 
are very large. One weighing four pounds, the 
largest ever discovered, was presented to Pope 
Leo at his silver jubilee, 1902. 

An ancient Amulet of Topaz is engraved in 
Arabic with the beautiful motto: 

"No one accomplishes but God." 

Is not that a splendid motto for our November 
boys and girls to write on the tablets of their 
hearts? To us it means, "No one accomplishes 
anything worth doing without the help of God." 

Some day, if any of you little miners travel in 
Europe and visit the magnificent tomb of St. 
Elizabeth at Marlong, you will see there a very 
large Topaz over a statuette of our Saviour. 

In our Bible mine we can find only four Topaz 
stones for which to dig. 

The first in the second row of the famous 
breastplate. You know in what compartment to 
dig for that. 

The second is a Topaz from Ethiopia. Do you 
know where to find that country on the map? 

113 




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Job considered the Ethiopian Topaz of great 
value, for he classed it in the same list with a 
Ruby and Sapphire, and compared them all with 
the price of wisdom (Job 28:19). 

The third Bible Topaz was worn by the King 
of Tyre in his bed covering. 

The fourth is embedded in the foundation of 
the "City Beautiful," and you must dig to the 
very bottom of your mine to reach it (Revelation 
21:20). 

In this month the King of England celebrates 
his birthday, so he shares the Topaz as his birth- 
stone with all the November Boys and Girls. 

Our symbol for the topaz is "Friendship." 
Does not that please our little miners for Novem- 
ber? 

For every boy and girl has some special little 
chum or friend; one you love to be with more 
than any other. 

One of the most beautiful stories of olden times 
is that of the deep friendship between two very 
young men named Damon and Pythias. A wick- 

114 






ed king condemned Pythias to death, and when 
he asked permission to go and say good-bye to 
his loved friends over the sea, the king said "No, 
for you may never return.'' Then Damon stood 
forth and offered to stay in prison in his friend's 
place, and "if he returns not'' said he, "I shall 
be ready to die for him, so great is my love and 
friendship." 

So Pythias was allowed to go to his friends. 
Months passed, the fatal day arrived, but Pyth- 
ias had not returned. Damon, with perfect 
faith in his friend's honor, said that he knew 
Pythias would return if he was alive, and that 
in any case he would himself keep his word. 

Finally Damon was led out to be killed. Then 
suddenly Pythias appeared and offered himself 
for death. Storms and shipwreck had delayed 
him, but he was true to his word and to his 
friend. The king was so amazed at the love and 
trust of the two friends that he spared both their 
lives. 

We have some beautiful stories of friendship in 



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our Bible mine. One of the most interesting is 
about a shepherd lad and a prince. At their 
very first meeting the King's son made a friend 
of the shepherd lad and loved him "As his own 
soul." 

He proved his love and friendship many times 
by standing up for him in the face of the king's 
anger. At the peril of his own life, and though 
he knew it would cost him the throne, the king's 
son saved the life of his friend. 

Dig out their names from 1 Samuel 18. Read 
the story of their friendship, and the warning 
message of the bow and arrow. 

A little deeper in our Bible mine we uncover 
the story of a great friendship between two wo- 
men. 

The younger woman proved her love in a 
time of deep sorrow, for she left her home, her 
family, and even her gods, to be with her friend. 
This young woman made the most marvelous 
covenant of friendship the world ever knew. 

116 



Dig into the book of Ruth for the beautiful story. 
What were the names of the two women? 

Another kind of friendship is that between 
men and animals. Wonderful stories there are 
about the friendship between dogs and their mas- 
ters, or horses and their drivers. Even the story 
of an ass in our Bible mine who showed his 
friendship for his master by saving his life. 

I am sure you have heard the story of the 
poor runaway slave Androcles who met a lion 
in a cave and took a thorn out of its foot. 
The slave and the lion became good friends and 
lived together in the forest. One day some men 
caught the poor slave and took him to 
prison. He was condemned to fight with 
a lion in the huge amphitheatre for the amuse- 
ment of the people. Imagine their surprise and 
wonder when, instead of attacking the slave, the 
fierce lion crouched on the ground before An- 
drocles and licked his feet. The lion was the 
same that the slave had met in the cave, and 



117 




now he showed his gratitude and friendship by 
saving the life of his friend. 

A very wise king wrote many wise sayings in 
the compartment of our mine called Proverbs. 
Do you know his name? One thing he said was 
that if we want friends we must show ourselves 
friendly, another w^as "a friend loveth at all 
times." 

He also wrote of one friend who "sticketh 
closer than a brother." Do you know whom he 
meant? 

One great man mentioned in our mine was 
honored by being called "The friend of God." 
What is his name? Dig down into James 2 
for the answer. 

Another man was greatly honored, for God 
spoke to him "as a man speaketh to his friend," 
face to face. Find his name in Exodus 33 :11. 

In the story called "A Tale of Two Cities," 
Charles Dickens tells us of a man who actually 
suffered death on the guillotine in place of his 
friend. 

118 



St. John says that the very greatest proof of 
love is when a man lays down his life for his 
friend (John 15) . Of course, you know about the 
"One above all others" who laid down His life 
for us because of His great love and friendship. 
He wants us to be His friends and believe in 
Him and love Him. What a great thing it is for 
us to be invited into the circle of friends of the 
King of Kings! 

"Since Thou art willing thus to condescend 
To be my intimate, familiar friend, 
Oh! let me to the great occasion rise, 
And count Thy friendship life's most glori- 
ous prize." 

Is it not splendid to have the hand of friend- 
ship from the King of Kings? To think that 
we are chosen to be the friends of God, for He 
says: "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever 
I command you." 

Let us each try to be God's friend, and to be 
a true friend to some one who needs us. In this 

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DECEMBER 

THE RUBY. 

THE most glorious month in all the year 
is the joyous month of December, be- 
cause it contains the "Royal Birth- 
day." 
There is not a country in the world to-day, 
but where, in some town, or village, you would 
meet a man, woman or child who could answer 
the question "What happened on December 25th 
in the year one?" 

I know a little boy who was so much interest- 
ed in a class he attended that he called that day 
of the week his "love day." Shall we call De- 
cember our "love month?" For it is the month 
when our loving Saviour Jesus Christ, was born 
into the world, and the birthstone is the most 
precious of all jewels, the Ruby. 

This rich, red, glowing jewel, is more valuable 
than any other in the world. The very word Ruby 

121 






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speaks of the color of the stone, for "Rubino" 
means red. 

Have you ever heard the way in which the 
Ruby is tested to discover its true value? It is 
called the "blood test." The Ruby is laid on a 
sheet of white paper, and beside it is dropped 
one or two drops of fresh blood from a pigeon. 

If the Ruby matches exactly the color of the 
pigeon's blood, it is a true Ruby of the highest 
value, and is called a "pigeon blood Ruby." 

Is it not beautiful to think that our December 
birthstone, the most precious of all precious 
stones, goes through this "blood test." 

Just as we who are the highest of God's crea- 
tion must also go through a blood test? It is 
only by the shedding of His precious blood 
that Jesus Christ washes away our sins, and 
makes us fit to wear the crown of eternal life. 
The highest test of God's love to us is the gift 
of His Son, who died for us. 

There is only one true Ruby in the world. It 



122 



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is called "The Oriental," and it ranks first in 
beauty and value among all the jewels. 

Just so, there is only one true life for every 
child of God. It is the life hidden with Christ 
in God. 

A perfect Ruby of three carats weight brings 
twice the price of a diamond the same size, and 
in the 16th Century it would have been worth 
eight times as much as a diamond. The largest 
Ruby ever seen in Europe was presented to the 
Czarina of Russia in 1777. It is the size of a 
big pigeon's egg, and weighs one hundred carats. 

Another famous Ruby is set in the front of the 
crown of England, in the center of a Maltese 
cross. It is called the "Ruby of the Black 
Prince." The famous writer, John Ruskin, calls 
it "The loveliest precious stone he ever knew." 

The best Oriental Rubies come from Siam, 
India, and Ceylon, but Siam is the chief home of 
the "pigeeon blood Ruby." 

Before the English put machinery into the 
mines there the labor was done by the natives, 

123 



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and all the extra big Rubies were taken to the 
King. Whenever a specially large Ruby was dug 
out, a procession of grandees, with soldiers and 
elephants, was sent out from the palace to meet 
it, and in triumph was the precious gem carried 
home to the king who called himself the "Lord 
of the Rubies." 

Our Bible mine yields some valuable Rubies 
to those who will dig for them. 

The very first stone in the breastplate was a 
Ruby. This stone was called Sadius in the olden 
times. Look at the reference in the margin of 
your Bibles in Exodus 28 :17. On this stone was 
engraved the name of the tribe of Reuben, the 
first son of Jacob. 

The first stone mentioned in the bed covering 
of the King of Tyre is also a Ruby. And the 
"City Beautiful" in the Book of Revelation 
held a Ruby as its sixth foundation stone. 

There are only two precious things embedded 
in the Bible mine whose price is said to be above 



124 



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Rubies. What are they? Dig theni out of our 
mine. 

One in the compartment of Proverbs 3, and 
the other is in another shaft of that same com- 
partment, Proverbs 31. The first is especially 
for the boy miners, and the second for the girl 
miners. 

Have you guessed the great virtue of which 
our December birthstone is a Symbol? It stands 
for "The greatest thing in the world," LOVE. 
As a perfect Ruby is the most rare thing in na- 
ture, so perfect love is the rarest of all virtues. 

"One smile can glorify a day, 

One word true hope impart. 
The least disciple need not say 
'I have no alms to give away/ 

If love be in the heart." 



The Hawaiians have a lovely soft musical word 
which means more than any single word except 
"Mispah." Their word is "Aloha," and it means 
"My love to you forever." 

125 




That is just what God meant when He sent 
His love gift into the world. 

Once upon a time, before the year one, there 
was no Christmas day. The 25th of December 
was just the same as the 23rd or 26th. No Santa 
Claus. No gifts to one another. No Christmas 
tree. Above all, there was no beautiful story 
of the coming of the Christ child, and no Christ- 
mas carols. 

Then God looked down and saw the suffering 
and sorrow and sin of the world and He longed 
to save men. He would send them the greatest 
gift He could ever bestow. 

Power to do good? No. 

Wisdom? No. 

Greater science? No. 

He sent down to earth His own blessed Son, 
His own eternal Child, who is pure love, to be a 
dear human mother's baby boy. 

Do you know where this soul of love, this 
wondrous Baby was born? He did not come 
as a great prince or the son of a man of great 

126 



learning, or as the child of a High Priest in Jeru- 
salem. But away off in the little hill town of 
Bethlehem, and when the Baby Boy first opened 
His eyes in a manger where the cows and sheep 
had been feeding, the future of the world was 
changed. The year one began. 

So you see that our little miners who have 
birthdays in December come in line with the 
King of Kings. 

What noble boys and girls they ought to be 
if they trust such a Saviour and King. 

Do you know what is the greatest question in 
the world? Dig it out of your mine in John 
21 :16. Now if you will dig into Deuteronomy 
6, you will uncover the answer. There are four 
parts of our being included in the answer. 

The next important question is, How can we 
help each other? You will find the answer to 
that in Galatians 5 :13. 

Our Bible mine is full of the jewel of love. 
One of the Gospels is called the Gospel of Love. 
Do you know which it is? 

127 






In the Book of Bevelation, which was written 
by the Apostle of Love, there is a marvellous 
picture of a glorious scene. A beautiful throne 
surrounded by a rainbow of emeralds. Twenty- 
four princes in white robes, with gold crowns 
on their heads, stand before the throne. Light- 
ning and thunder comes forth, and seven lamps 
burn night and day. On the throne sits a Koyal 
King in radiance and beauty like unto a Buby. 

Why is He compared to a Buby? Because it 
is the jewel that stands for Love, and God, the 
Boyal King is Love. 

All the great deeds of the world are inspired 
by Love. One great man dug into our Bible 
mine at 1 Corinthians 13, and found that Love 
is composed of nine parts: 

Patience, kindness, generosity, humility, 
courtesy, unselfishness, good temper, gentleness 
and sincerity. 

All miners, little and big, ought to dig out that 
love chapter and learn it by heart. 

No one could ever give as great a love-gift as 
128 




139 




Thus is our Crown of jewels completed. 

Garnet, Emerald, Sapphire, 

Amethyst, Agate, Beryl, 

Bloodstone, Turquoise, Topaz 

Diamond, Sardonyx, Euby. 

Sparkling Symbols of the twelve best things 
in life. 



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Victory, 


Immortality, 


Trust, 


Sincerity, 


Service, 


Happiness, 


Courage, 


Truth, 


Friendship, 


Purity, 


Thanksgiving, 


Love. 



Clasped together over our forehead by the 
pearl of great price the Love of God. 

Surely this is a crown worth living for; a 
diadem worth dying for. 

God always keeps His promises, and He has 
given a glorious promise to every little miner 
who will strive to keep clear and shining this 
crown of jewels: 

130 




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Like the stars of the morning, 
His bright crown adorning, 
They shall shine in their beauty, 
Bright gems for His crown. 



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